Soldering iron
 

I need to replace the wires going to my horns and horn relay but my Weller gun doesn’t have enough wattage to melt the old solder joints. What wattage irons do you guys use for these joints?
Thanks

Re: Soldering iron
 

I have noticed that it takes a bit longer to melt those old solder joints. I too use a Weller gun. It happens but takes a bit longer than "normal".
Patience my friend, patience :)

Re: Soldering iron
 

This will do it in a heartbeat.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/300W-110V-S...EAAOSwbWpec7Z0

Re: Soldering iron
 

If space allows, I use a micro torch, Carefully.
https://www.harborfreight.com/butane...kaAh9HEALw_wcB

Re: Soldering iron
 

My gun was not heating up enough either and thought it had gone gunny sack. What happened is that the screws that hold the tip in place had loosened up. I retightened them and it works perfectly again......almost threw away a perfectly good soldering iron!

Re: Soldering iron
 

I replaced the tip, got the nuts good and tight, was a little more patient and got ‘er done.
Thanks!

Re: Soldering iron
 

Thats always nice when something works out!!

Re: Soldering iron
 

I have two old Wen 250 watt guns, they work great but you do have to keep the nuts tight. Tips are hard to find so I rebuilt my own using the original stubs that go into the gun and braising on 12 gauge solid house wire for the tip.

Re: Soldering iron
 

Sometimes adding a bit of flux to the joint to unsolder gets it started.

Re: Soldering iron
 

make sure the nuts are tight, and the contact area underneath is clean and your old solder gun will work fine.

Re: Soldering iron
 

Melt some solder onto the tip of the iron while holding it against the job. The melted solder will act as a heat conductor and help melt the joint.

Re: Soldering iron
 

Got one of these at HF, you can pull the tip off and use it as a torch.

Re: Soldering iron
 

One thing not mentioned, is that solder alloys have different melting temperatures. Some alloys, i.e. 50/50 and 60/40 are in the 183 to 212C range, while some may need as much as 300C to melt. Silver solder can need 450C or higher to melt. So depending on the original alloy, the melting temp may be lower or higher.

https://www.petervis.com/Education/S...elting%20point.